Behind all the topical mania, there are the wonderful personal stories of each and every driver. Jeff Gordon is in the back end of a great 21-year career in the Sprint Cup Series.

His ups and downs along the way have also been just as tumultuous behind the scenes. Since 2006, the 41-year-old has been married to a model who has featured in Sports Illustrated, ELLE, Vogue and Glamour.

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Gordon met his first wife, former Miss Winston Brooke Sealy, at a qualifying race back in 1993 and they were married the next year.

The marriage was irreparably married in 2002 when allegations of infidelity surfaced.

Gordon, as well as NASCAR fans, moved past the tabloid gossip and he finally met his current wife and model, Ingrid Vandebosch.

The 42-year-old—who won the Elite Look of the Year Award in 1990—married the star driver in a private ceremony back in November of 2006.

Fortunately, she keeps her family, including the couple's two children, close at hand.

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Photo Credit: Ingrid Vandebosch

In a USA Today article from May of 2012, Gordon discussed his ability to have his family with him during the races:

The cool thing is, and this is the part I feel fortunate, where other guys don't get to experience this, my kids get to come on pit road and be right next to the car and look at racing in this cool, exciting way of getting up close and personal to it. These (crew) guys, their kids might love racing, but it's only on a rare occasion that they get to be that up-close to it.

Gordon will enter the season looking for his fourth win at Daytona, but will be ecstatic no matter what happens with his family nearby.